Kate Middleton wearing blue dress at polo

Princess Kate misses Prince William's polo match amid recovery

The Princess of Wales is still undergoing chemotherapy

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon

Updated: July 12, 2024Jul 12, 2024, 4:00 PM GMT+1

The Princess of Wales missed supporting her husband, Prince William, in his charity polo match on Friday.

Kate, 42, who is still undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer, was not among the spectators watching the Prince of Wales compete in the Out-Sourcing Inc Royal Charity Polo Cup 2024 at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park.

William's cousin, Peter Phillips, and his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling, cheered on the Prince alongside guests.

The Princess briefly returned to the spotlight last month when she joined the royal family at the King's birthday parade, formally known as Trooping the Colour.

And in a personal update ahead of the event, she shared that she has "good days and bad days" and that her "treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months".

The funds will benefit 11 charities and organisations that the Prince and Princess care passionately about, including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Wales Air Ambulance, Mountain Rescue England & Wales, SHOUT, Child Bereavement UK, Royal African Society, Place2Be, Action for Children, The Blackthorn Rally, HMS Oardacious Fund and The Royal Marsden.

Prince William kissing Kate Middleton on the cheek — William and Kate showed a rare PDA last year

It comes amid speculation that Kate could attend the tennis finals of the Wimbledon Championships this weekend in her role as patron of The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.

The royal mum-of-three traditionally presents the trophies to the Men's and Ladies' winners but if she unable to fulfil her ceremonial duties, the Duchess of Gloucester has been tipped to step in.

Prince William with polo trophy — Kate beamed as William collected his trophy at the 2023 match

Meanwhile, William is expected to fly to Germany to watch England compete against Spain in the Euro 2024 football final on Sunday in Berlin.

The future king celebrated the Three Lions win against The Netherlands in the semi-final on Wednesday with a personal message, writing: "What a beauty, Ollie! Congratulations England! #EURO2024 Finalists W."

William, who is an avid Aston Villa fan, has been President of the FA since 2006.

Rules of polo

Playing field and equipment

Played on grass, with a ball and mallets the principle pieces. A standard polo pitch measures up to 270 metres by 150 metres. The ball weighs around 4.5 ounces and the mallets measure 49 to 54 inches. Riders require a protective equestrian helmet, knee-length boots, spurs and a whip. Two gloves with wristbands are worn too. Polo jerseys are numbered one to four and relate to player positions.

Protagonists

Two teams comprising four players each (and their horses!). Team members are either assigned to 'defence' or 'attack'.

Duration

Matches last about one and a half to two hours and are divided into seven-and-a-half-minute periods called chukkas. There are either four or six chukkas in a match, divided by halftime. During halftime, spectators are asked to tend to divots on the field.

Matchplay

To start the match, an official rolls the ball into play. Players score by driving the ball between the open posts of the opposing goal which measures 7.3 metres in width.. There is no rule on how high the ball can travel through the air. Teams change ends after each goal. Fouls are divided into crosses, foul hooks and dangerous engagements. In the event of foul, a penalty is awarded during which the transgressing team must be positioned a minimum of 27.4 metres from the ball. The team which scores the most goals wins. In the event of a draw, sudden death overtime is played in which the first team to score triumphs.

Credit: The UK Rules

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